Claire's change
by DeadGirlEtarnal
Summary: It's set during book five Lord Misrule when Claire is bitten by François but what happens after she is bitten and how will this effect everyone elses lives including François.
1. Chapter 1

_This is__like in the book where it's from Claire's Point of view, I hope you enjoy. _

**Claire's change**

**Chapter one: **

_Claire came awake feeling sick, wretched, and cold. Someone was pounding on the back of her head with a croquet mallet, or at least that was how it felt, and when she tried to move, the whole world spun around._

_"Shut up and stop moaning," somebody said from a few feet away. "Don't you dare throw up or I'll make you eat it."_

_It sounded like Jason Rosser, Eve's crazy brother. Claire swallowed hard and squinted, trying to make out the shadow next to her. Yeah, it looked like Jason-skanky, greasy, and insane. She tried to squirm away from him, but ran into a wall at her back. It felt like wood, but she didn't think it was the Glass House attic,_

_He'd taken her somewhere, probably using the portal. And now none of her friends could follow, because none of them knew how._

_Her hands and feet were tied. Claire blinked, trying to clear her head. That was a little unfortunate, because with clarity came the awareness of just how bad this was. Jason Rosser really was crazy. He'd stalked Eve. He'd-at least allegedly-killed girls in town. He'd definitely stabbed Shane, and he'd staked Amelie at the feast when she'd tried to help him._

_And none of her friends back at the Glass House would know how to find her. To their eyes, she would have just . . . vanished._

_"What do you want?" she asked. Her voice sounded rusty and scared. Jason reached out and moved hair back from her face, which creped her out. She didn't like him touching her._

_"Relax, shortcake, you're not my type," he said. "I do what I'm told, that's all. You were wanted. So I brought you."_

_"Wanted?"_

_A low, silky laugh floated on the silence, dark as smoke, and Jason looked over his shoulder as the hidden observer rose and stepped into what little light there was._

_Ysandre, Bishop's pale little girlfriend. Beautiful, sure. Delicate as jasmine flowers, with big, liquid eyes and a sweetly rounded face._

_She was poison in a pretty bottle._

_"Well," she said, and crouched down next to Claire. "Look at what the cat dragged in. Meeow." Her sharp nail dragged over Claire's cheek, and judging from the sting, it drew blood. "Where's your pretty boyfriend, Miss Claire? I really wasn't done with him, you know. I hadn't even properly started."_

_Claire felt an ugly lurch of anger mix with the fear already churning her stomach. "He's probably not done with you, either," she said, and managed to smile. She hoped it was a cold kind of smile, the sort that Amelie used-or Oliver. "Maybe you should go looking. I'll bet he'd be so happy to see you."_

_"I'll show that boy a real good time, when we do meet up again," Ysandre purred, and put her face very close to Claire's. "Now, then, let's talk, just us girls. Won't that be fun?"_

_Not. Claire was struggling against the ropes, but Jason had done his job pretty well; she was hurting herself more than accomplishing anything else. Ysandre grabbed Claire's shoulder and wrenched her upright against the wooden wall, hard enough to bang Claire's injured head. For a dazed second, it looked like Ysandre's ripe, red smile floated in mid-air, like some undead Cheshire cat._

_"Now," Ysandre said, "ain't this nice, sweetie? It's too bad we couldn't get Mr Shane to join us, but my little helper here; he's a bit worried about tackling Shane. Bad blood and all." She laughed softly. "Well, we'll make do. Amelie likes you, I hear, and you've got on that pretty little gold bracelet. So you'll do just fine."_

_"For what?"_

_"I ain't telling you, sweetie." Ysandre's smile was truly scary. "This town's going to have a wild night, though. Real wild. And you're going to get to see the whole thing, up close. You must be all a tingle."_

_Eve would have had a quip at the ready. Claire just glared, and wished her head would stop aching and spinning. What had he hit her with? It felt like the front end of a bus. She hadn't thought Jason could hit that hard, truthfully._

_Don't try to find me, Shane. Don't. The last thing she wanted was Shane racing to the rescue and taking on a guy who'd stabbed him, and a vampire who'd led him around by a leash._

_No, she had to find her own way out of this._

_Step one: figure out where she was. Claire let Ysandre ramble on, describing all kinds of lurid things that Claire thought it was better not to imagine, considering they were things Ysandre was thinking of doing to her. Instead, she tried to identify her surroundings. It didn't look familiar, but that was no help; she was still relatively new to Morganville. Plenty of places she'd never been._

_Wait._

_Claire focused on the crate that Jason was sitting on. There was stencilling on it. It was hard to make it out in the dim light, but she thought it said BRICKS BULK COFFEE. And now that she thought about it, it smelled like coffee in here, too. A warm, morning kind of smell, floating over dust and damp wood. And she remembered Eve laughing about how Oliver bought his coffee from a place called Bricks. As in, tastes like ground up bricks, Eve had said. If you order flavoured, they add in the mortar._

_There were only two coffee shops in town: Oliver's place, and the University Centre coffee bar. This didn't look like the UC, which wasn't that old and was mostly built of concrete, not wood._

_That meant . . . she was at Common Grounds? But Common Grounds didn't make any sense; there wasn't any kind of portal leading to it._

_Maybe Oliver has a warehouse. That sounded right, because the vampires seemed to own a lot of the warehouse district that bordered Founder's Square. Brandon, Oliver's second in vampire command, had been found dead in a warehouse._

_Maybe she was close to Founder's Square._

_Ysandre's cold fingers closed around Claire's chin and jerked it up. "Are you listening, honey?"_

_"Truthfully, no," Claire said. "You're kind of boring."_

_Jason actually laughed, and turned it into a fake cough. "I'm going outside," he said. "Since this is going to get all personal now." Claire wanted to yell to him not to go, but she bit her tongue and turned it into a subsonic whine in the back of her throat as she watched him walk away. His footsteps receded into the dark, and then finally a small square of light opened a long way off._

_It was a door, too far for her to reach-way too far._

_"I thought he'd never leave," Ysandre said, and put her cold, cold lips on Claire's neck, then yelled in shock and pulled away, covering her mouth with one pale hand. "You bitch!"_

_Ysandre hadn't seen the silver chain Claire was wearing in the dim light, as whisper thin as it was. Now there were welts forming on the vampire's full lips-forming, breaking, and bleeding._

_Fury sparked in Ysandre's eyes. Playtime was over._

_As Claire squirmed away, the vampire followed at a lazy stroll. She wiped her burned lips and looked at the thin, leaking blood in distaste. "Tastes like silver. Disgusting. You've just ruined my good mood, little girl."_

_As she rolled, Claire felt something sharp dig into her leg. The knife. They'd found the stake, but she guessed their search hadn't exactly been thorough; Jason was too crazy, and Ysandre too careless and arrogant._

_But the knife wasn't going to do her any good at all where it was, unless . . ._

_Ysandre lunged for her; a blur of white in the darkness, and Claire twisted and jammed her hip down at an awkward angle._

_The knife slipped and tore through the fabric of her jeans-not much of it, just a couple of inches, but enough to slice open Ysandre's hand and arm as it reached for her, all the way to the bone._

_Ysandre shrieked in real pain, and spun away. She didn't look so pretty now, and when she turned toward Claire again, from a respectful distance this time, she hissed at her with full cobra fangs extended. Her eyes were wild and blood red, glowing like rubies._

_Claire twisted, nearly yanking her elbow out of its joint, and managed to get the ropes around her wrist against the knife. She didn't have long; the shock wouldn't keep Ysandre at bay for more than a few seconds._

_But getting a silver knife to cut through synthetic rope? That was going to take a while-a while she didn't have. Claire sawed desperately, and got a little bit of give on the bonds-enough to almost get her hand into her pocket._

_But not._

_Ysandre grabbed her by the hair. "I'm going to destroy you for that."_

_The pain in her head was blinding. It felt like her scalp was being ripped off, and on top of that, the massive headache roared back to a new, sickening pulse._

_Claire loosened the rope enough to plunge her aching hand into her pocket and grab the handle of the knife. She yanked it out of the tangle of fabric and held it at a trembling, handicapped en grade-still tied up, but whatever, she wasn't going to stop fighting, not ever._

_Ysandre shrieked and let her go, which made no sense to Claire's confused, pain shocked mind. I didn't stab her yet. Did I? Not that she wanted to stab anybody, even Ysandre. She just wanted-_

_What was going on?_

_Ysandre's body slammed down hard on the wooden floor, and Claire gasped and flinched away . . . but the vampire had fallen facedown, limp, and weirdly broken._

_A small woman dressed in grey, her pale hair falling wild around her shoulders, dropped silently from overhead and put one impeccably lovely grey pump in the centre of Ysandre's back, holding her down as she tried to move._

_"Claire?" The woman's face turned toward her, and Claire blinked twice before she realized whom she was looking at._

_Amelie. But not Amelie. Not the cool, remote Founder-this woman had a wild, furious energy to her that Claire had never seen before. And she looked young._

_"I'm okay," she said faintly, and tried to decide whether this version of Amelie was really here, or a function of her smacked around brain. She decided it would be a good idea to get her hands and feet untied before figuring anything else out._

_That took long minutes, during which Amelie (really?) dragged Ysandre, whimpering, into the corner and fastened her wrists to a massive crossbeam with chains. The chains, Claire registered, had been there all along. Lovely. This was some kind of vamp playpen/storage locker-probably Oliver's. And she felt sick again, thinking about it. Claire sawed grimly at the ropes binding her and finally parted one complete twist around her hands. As she struggled out of the loops of rope, she saw deep white imprints in her skin, and realized that her hands were red and swollen. She could still feel them, at least, and the burn of circulation returning felt as if she were holding them over an open flame._

_She focused on slicing the increasingly dulled knife through the rope on her feet, but it was no use._

_"Here," Amelie said, and bent down to snap the rope with one twist of her fingers. It was so frustrating, after all that hard work, to see just how easy it was for her. Claire stripped the ties away and sat for a moment breathing hard, starting to feel every cut, bump, and bruise on her body._

_Amelie's cool fingers cupped Claire's chin and forced her head up, and the vampire's grey eyes searched hers. "You have a head injury," Amelie said. "I don't think it's too serious. A headache and some dizziness, perhaps." She let go. "I expected to find you. I did not expect to find you here, I confess."_

_Amelie looked fine. Not a prisoner. Not a scratch on her, in fact. Claire had lots more damage and she hadn't been dragged off as Bishop's prisoner. . . ._

_Wait. "You-we thought Bishop might have gotten you. But he didn't, did he?" Amelie cocked an eyebrow at her. "Apparently not."_

_"Then where did you go?" Claire felt a completely useless urge to lash out at her, crack that extreme cool. "Why did you do this? You left us alone! And you called the vampires out of hiding-" Her voice failed her for a second as she thought about Officer O'Malley, and the others she'd heard about. "You got some of them killed."_

_Amelie didn't respond to that. She simply stared back, as calm as an ice sculpture-calmer, because she wasn't melting._

_"Tell me why," Claire said. "Tell me why you did that."_

_"Because plans change," Amelie replied. "As Bishop changes his moves, I must change mine. The stakes are too high now, Claire. I've lost half the vampires of Morganville to him. He's taking away my advantage, and I needed to draw them to me, for their own safety."_

_"You got vampires killed, not just humans. I know humans don't mean anything to you. But I thought the whole point of this was to save your people!"_

_"And so it is," Amelie said. "As many as can be saved. As for the call, there is a thing in chess known as a blitz attack, you see-a distraction, to cover the movement of more important pieces. You retrieved Myrnin and set him in play again; this was most important. I need my most powerful pieces on the board."_

_"Like Oliver?" Claire rubbed her hands together, trying to get the annoying tingle out of them. "He's hurt, you know. Maybe dying."_

_"He's served his purpose." Amelie turned her attention toward Ysandre, who was starting to stir. "It's time to take Bishop's rook, I believe."_

_Claire clutched the silver knife hard in her fist. "Is that all I am, too? Some kind of sacrifice pawn?"_

_That got Amelie's attention again. "No," she said in surprise. "Not entirely. I do care, Claire. But in war, you can't care too much. It paralyzes your ability to act." Those luminous eyes turned toward Ysandre again. "It's time for you to go, because I doubt you would enjoy seeing this. You won't be able to return here. I'm closing down nodes on the network. When I'm finished, there will be only two destinations: to me, or to Bishop."_

_"Where is he?"_

_"You don't know?" Amelie raised her eyebrows again. "He is where it is most secure, of course. At City Hall. And at nightfall, I will come against him. That's why I came looking for you, Claire. I need you to tell Richard. Tell him to get all those who can't fight for me out of the building."_

_"But-he can't. It's a storm shelter. There are supposed to be tornadoes coming."_

_"Claire," Amelie said. "Listen to me. If innocents take refuge in that building, they will be killed, because I can't protect them anymore. We're at endgame now. There's no room for mercy." She looked again at Ysandre, who had gone very still, listening._

_"Y'all wouldn't be saying this in front of me if I was going to walk out of here, would you?" Ysandre asked. She sounded calm now. Very still._

_"No," Amelie said. "Very perceptive. I wouldn't." She took Claire by the arm and helped her to her feet. "I am relying on you, Claire. Go now. Tell Richard these are my orders."_

_Before Claire could utter another word, she felt the air shimmer in front of her, in the middle of the big warehouse room, and she fell . . . out over the dusty trunk in the Glass House attic, where Oliver had been. She sprawled ungracefully on top of it, then rolled off and got to her feet with a thump. When she waved her hand through the air, looking for that strange heat shimmer of an open portal, she felt nothing at all._

_I'm closing the portals, Amelie had said._

_She'd closed this one, for sure._

_"Claire?" Shane's voice came from the far end of the attic. He shoved aside boxes and jumped over jumbled furniture to reach her. "What happened to you? Where did you go?"_

_"I'll tell you later," she said, and realized she was still holding the bloody silver knife. She carefully put it back in her pocket, in the makeshift holster against her leg. It was so dull she didn't think it would cut anything again, but it made her feel better. "Oliver?"_

_"Bad." Shane put his hands around her head and tilted it up, looking her over. "Is everything okay?"_

_"Define everything. No, define okay." She shook her head in frustration. "I need to get the radio. I have to talk to Richard."_

_Richard wasn't on the radio. "He's meeting with the mayor," said the man who answered. Sullivan, Claire thought his name was, but she hadn't really paid attention. "You got a problem there?"_

_"No, Officer, you've got a problem there," she said. "I need to talk to Richard. It's really important!"_

_"Everybody needs to talk to Richard," Sullivan said. "He'll get back to you. He's busy right now. If it's not an emergency response-"_

_"Yes, okay! It's an emergency!"_

_"Then I'll send units out to you. Glass House, right?"_

_"No, it's not-" Claire wanted to slam the radio down in frustration. "It's not an emergency here. Look, just tell Richard that he needs to clear everybody out of City Hall, as soon as possible."_

_"Can't do that," Sullivan said. "It's our centre of operations. It's the main storm shelter, and we've got one heck of a storm coming tonight. You're going to have to give me a reason, miss."_

_"All right, it's because-"_

_Michael took the radio away from her and shut it off. Claire gaped, stuttered, and finally demanded, "Why?"_

_"Because if Amelie says Bishop's got himself installed in City Hall, somebody there has to know. We don't know who's on his team," Michael said. "I don't know Sullivan that well, but I know he never was happy with the way things ran in town. I wouldn't put it past him to be buying Bishop's crap about giving the city back to the people, home rule, all that stuff. Same goes for anybody else there, except maybe Joe Hess and Travis Lowe. We have to know who we're talking to before we say anything else."_

_Shane nodded. "I'm thinking that Sullivan's keeping Richard out of the loop for a reason."_

_They were downstairs, the four of them. Eve, Shane, and Claire were at the kitchen table, and Michael was pacing the floor and casting looks at the couch, where Oliver was. The older vampire was asleep, Claire guessed, or unconscious; they'd done what they could, washed him off and wrapped him in clean blankets. He was healing, according to Michael, but he wasn't doing it very fast._

_When he'd woken up, he'd seemed distant. Confused._

_Afraid._

_Claire had given him one of the doses she'd gotten from Dr Mills, and so far, it seemed to be helping, but if Oliver was sick, Myrnin's fears were becoming real._

_Soon, it'd be Amelie, too. And then where would they be?_

_"So what do we do?" Claire asked. "Amelie said we have to tell Richard. We have to get non-combatants out of City Hall, as soon as possible."_

_"Problem is, you heard him giving instructions to the Civil Defence guys earlier-they're out telling everybody in town to go to City Hall if they can't make it to another shelter. Radio and TV, too. Hell, half the town is probably there already."_

_"Maybe she won't do it," Eve said. "I mean, she wouldn't kill everybody in there, would she? Not even if she thinks they're working for Bishop."_

_"I think it's gone past that," Claire said. "I don't know if she has any choice."_

_"There's always a choice."_

_"Not in chess," Claire replied. "Unless your choice is to lie down and die."_

_In the end, the only way to be sure they got to the right person was to get in the car and drive there. Claire was a little shocked at the colour of the sky outside-a solid grey, with clouds moving so fast it was like time-lapse on the Weather Channel. The edges looked faintly green, and in this part of the country, that was never a good sign._

_The only good thing about it was that Michael didn't have to worry about getting scorched by sunlight. He brought a hoodie and a blanket to throw over his head, just in case, but it was dark outside and getting darker fast. Premature sunset._

_Drops of rain were smacking the sidewalk, the size of half-dollars. Where they hit Claire's skin, they felt like paintball pellets. As she looked up at the clouds, a horizontal flash of lightning peeled the sky in half, and thunder rumbled so loudly she felt it through the soles of her shoes._

_"Come on!" Eve yelled, and started the car. Claire ran to open the backseat door and piled in beside Shane. Eve was already accelerating before she could fasten her seat belt. "Michael, get the radio."_

_He turned it on. Static. As he scanned stations, they got ghosts of signals from other towns, but nothing came through clearly in Morganville-probably because the vampires jammed it._

_Then one came in, loud and clear, broadcasting on a loop._

_Attention Morganville residents: this is an urgent public service announcement. The National Weather Service has identified an extremely dangerous storm tracking toward Morganville, which will reach our borders at six twenty seven this evening at its present speed. This storm has already been responsible for devastation in several areas in its path, and there has been significant loss of life due to tornado activity. Morganville and the surrounding areas are on tornado watch through ten p.m. this evening. If you hear an alert siren, go immediately to a designated Safe Shelter location or to the safest area of your home if you cannot reach a Safe Shelter. Attention Morganville residents-_

_Michael clicked it off. There was no point in listening to the repeat; it wasn't going to get any better. "How many Safe Shelters are there?" Shane asked. "University dorms have them, the UC-"_

_"Founder's Square has two," Michael said, "but nobody can get to them right now. They're locked up."_

_"Library."_

_"And the church. Father Joe would open up the basements, so that'll fit a couple of hundred people."_

_Everybody else would head to City Hall, if they didn't stay in their houses._

_The rain started to fall in earnest, slapping the windshield at first, and then pounding it in fierce waves. The ancient windshield wipers really weren't up to it, even at high speed. Claire was glad she wasn't trying to drive. Even in clear visibility she wasn't very good, and she had no idea how Eve was seeing a thing._

_If she was, of course. Maybe this was faith based driving._

_Other cars were on the road, and most of them were heading the same way they were. Claire looked at the clock on her cell phone._

_Five thirty p.m._

_The storm was less than an hour away._

_"Uh oh," Eve said, and braked as they turned the last corner. It was a sea of red taillights. Over the roll of thunder and pounding rain, Claire heard horns honking. Traffic moved, but slowly, one car at a time inching forward. "They're checking cars at the barricade. I can't believe-"_

_Something happened up there, and the brake lights began flicking off in steady rows. Cars moved. Eve fell into line, and the big, black sedan rolled past two police cars still flashing their lights. In the red/blue/red glow, Claire saw that they'd moved the barricades aside and were just waving everyone through._

_"This is crazy," she said. "We can't get people out. Not fast enough! We'd have to stop everybody from coming in first, and then give them somewhere to go. . . ."_

_"I'm getting out of the car here," Michael said. "I can run faster than you can drive in this. I'll get to Richard. They won't dare stop me."_

_That was probably true, but Eve still said, "Michael, don't-"_

_Not that it stopped him from bailing out into the rain. A flash of lightning streaked by overhead and showed him splashing through thick puddles, weaving around cars._

_He was right; he was faster._

_Eve muttered something about "Stupid, stubborn, bloodsucking boyfriends," and followed the traffic toward City Hall._

_Out of nowhere, a truck pulled out in front of them from a side street and stopped directly in their path. Eve yelled and hit the brakes, but they were mushy and wet, and not great at the best of times, and Claire felt the car slip and then slide, gathering speed as it went._

_Glad I put on my seat belt, she thought, which was a weird thing to think, as Eve's car hydroplaned right into the truck. Shane stretched out his arm to hold her in place, anyway-instinct, Claire guessed-and then they all got thrown forward hard as physics took over._

_Physics hurt. Claire rested her aching head against the cool window-it was cracked, but still intact-and tried to shake it off. Shane was unhooking himself from the seat belt and asking her if she was okay. She made some kind of gesture and mumbled something, which she hoped would be good enough. She wasn't up to real reassurances at the moment._

_Eve's door opened, and she got dragged out of the car._

_"Hey!" Shane yelled, and threw himself out his own door. Claire fumbled at the latch, but hers seemed stuck; she navigated the push button on her seat belt and opted for Shane's side of the car instead._

_As she stumbled out into the shockingly warm rain, she knew they were really in trouble now, because the man holding a knife to Eve's throat was Frank Collins, Shane's father and all-around badass, crazy vampire hater. He looked exactly like she remembered-tough, biker hard, dressed in leather and tattoos._

_He was yelling something at Eve, something Claire couldn't hear over the crash of thunder. Shane threw himself into a slide over the trunk of the car and grabbed at his dad's knife hand._

_Dad elbowed him in the face and sent him staggering. Claire grabbed for the silver knife in her jeans, but it was gone-she'd dropped it somewhere. Before she could look for it, Shane was back in the fight, struggling with his dad. He moved the knife enough that Eve slid free and ran to grab on to Claire._

_Frank shoved his son down on the hood of the car and raised the knife. He froze there, with rain pouring from his chin like a thin silver beard, and off the point of the knife._

_"No!" Claire screamed, "No, don't hurt him!"_

_"Where's the vampire?" Frank yelled back. "Where is Michael Glass?"_

_"Gone," Shane said. He coughed away pounding rain. "Dad, he's gone. He's not here. Dad."_

_Frank seemed to focus on his son for the first time. "Shane?"_

_"Yeah, Dad, it's me. Let me up, okay?" Shane was careful to keep his hands up, palms out in surrender. "Peace."_

_It worked. Frank stepped back and lowered the knife. "Good," he said. "I've been looking for you, boy." And then he hugged him. Shane still had his hands up, and froze in place without touching his father. Claire shivered at the look on his face._

_"Yeah, good to see you, too," he said. "Back off, man. We're not close, in case you forgot."_

_"You're still my son. Blood is blood." Frank pushed him toward the truck, only lightly crushed where Eve's car had smacked it. "Get in."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I said so!" Frank shouted. Shane just looked at him. "Dammit, boy, for once in your life, do what I tell you!"_

_"I spent most of my life doing what you told me," Shane said. "Including selling out my friends. Not happening anymore."_

_Frank's lips parted, temporarily amazed. He laughed._

_"Done drunk the suicide cola, didn't you?" When he shook his head, drops flew in all directions, and were immediately lost in the silver downpour. "Just get in. I'm trying to save your life. You don't want to be where you're trying to go."_

_Strangely enough, Frank Collins was making sense. Probably for all the wrong reasons, though._

_"We have to get through," Claire shouted over the pounding rain. She was shivering, soaked through every layer of clothing. "It's important. People could die if we don't!"_

_"People are going to die," Collins agreed. "Omelettes and eggs. You know the old saying."_

_Or chess, Claire thought. Though she didn't know whose side Frank Collins was playing on, or even if he knew he was being manipulated at all._

_"There's a plan," Frank was saying to his son. "In all this crap, nobody's checking faces. Metal detectors are off. We seize control of the building and make things right. We shuffle these bastards off, once and for all. We can do it!"_

_"Dad," Shane said, "everybody in that building tonight is going to be killed. We have to get people out, not get them in. If you care anything about those idiots who buy your revolutionary crap, you'll call this off."_

_"Call it off?" Frank repeated, as uncomprehending as if Shane were speaking another language. "When we're this close? When we can win? Dammit, Shane, you used to believe in this. You used to-"_

_"Yeah. Used to. Look it up!" Shane shoved his father away from him, and walked over to Eve and Claire. "I've warned you, Dad. Don't do this. Not today. I won't turn you in, but I'm telling you, if you don't back off, you're dead."_

_"I don't take threats," Frank said. "Not from you."_

_"You're an idiot," Shane said. "And I tried."_

_He got back in the car, on the passenger side front seat where Michael had been. Eve scrambled behind the wheel and Claire in the back._

_Eve reversed._

_Frank stepped out into the road ahead of them, a scary looking man in black leather with his straggling hair plastered around his face. Add in the big hunting knife, and cue the scary music._

_Eve let up on the gas. "No," Shane said, and moved his left foot over to jam it on top of hers. "Go. He wants you to stop."_

_"Don't! I can't miss him, no-"_

_But it was too late. Frank was staring into the headlights, squarely in the centre of the hood, and he was getting closer and closer._

_Frank Collins threw himself out of the way at the last possible second, Eve swerved wildly in the opposite direction to miss him, and somehow, they didn't kill Shane's dad._

_"What the hell are you doing?" Eve yelled at Shane. She was shaking all over. So was Shane. "You want to run him over, do it on your own time! God!"_

_"Look behind you," Shane whispered._

_There were people coming after them. A lot of people. They'd been hiding in the alley, Claire guessed. They had guns, and now they opened fire. The car shuddered, and the back window exploded into cracks, then fell with a crash all over Claire's neck._

_"Get up here!" Shane said, and grabbed her hands to haul her into the front seat. "Keep your head down!"_

_Eve had sunk down on the driver's side, barely keeping her eyes above the dashboard. She was panting hoarsely, panicked, and more gunshots were rattling the back of the car. Something hit the front window, too, adding more cracks and a round, backward splash of a hole._

_"Faster!" Shane yelled. Eve hit the gas hard, and whipped around a slower moving van. The firing ceased, at least for now. "You see why I didn't want you to stop?"_

_"Okay, your father is officially off my Christmas list!" Eve yelled. "Oh my God, look at my car!"_

_Shane barked out a laugh. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's what's important."_

_"It's better than thinking about what would have happened," Eve said. "If Michael had been with us-"_

_Claire thought about the mobs Richard had talked about, and the dead vampires, and felt sick. "They'd have dragged him off," she said. "They'd have killed him."_

_Michael had been right about Shane's dad, but then, Claire had never really doubted it. Neither had Shane, from the sick certainty on his face. He wiped his eyes with his forearm, which really didn't help much; they were all dripping wet, from head to toe._

_"Let's just get to the building," Shane said. "We can't do much until we find Richard."_

_Only it wasn't that simple, even getting in. The underground parking was crammed full of cars, parked haphazardly at every angle. As Eve inched through the shadows, looking for any place to go, she shook her head. "If we do manage to get people to leave, they won't be able to take their cars. Everybody's blocked in," she said. "This is massively screwed up." Claire, for her part, though some of it seemed deliberate, not just panic. "Okay, I'm going to pull it against the wall and hope we can get out if we need to."_

_The elevator was already locked down; the doors open but the lights off and buttons unresponsive. They took the stairs at a run._

_The first floor door seemed to be locked, until Shane pushed on it harder, and then it creaked open against a flood of protests._

_The vestibule was full of people._

_Morganville's City Hall wasn't all that large, at least not here in the lobby area._

_There was a big, sweeping staircase leading up, all grand marble and polished wood, and glass display cases taking up part of one wall. The License Bureau was off to the right: six old time bank windows, with bars, all closed. Next to each window was a brass plaque that read what the windows were supposed to deliver: RESIDENTIAL LICENSING, CAR REGISTRATION, ZONING CHANGE REQUESTS, SPECIAL PERMITS, TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS, FINE PAYMENTS, TAXES, CITY SERVICES._

_But not today._

_The lobby was jammed with people. Families, mostly-mothers and fathers with kids, some as young as infants. Claire didn't see a single vampire in the crowd, not even __Michael. At the far end, a yellow Civil Defence sign indicated that the door led to a Safe Shelter, with a tornado graphic next to it. A policeman with a bullhorn was yelling for order, not that he was getting any; people were pushing, shoving, and shouting at one another. "The shelter is now at maximum capacity! Please be calm!"_

_"Not good," Shane said. There was no sign of Richard, although there were at least ten uniformed police officers trying to manage the crowd. "Upstairs?"_

_"Upstairs," Eve agreed, and they squeezed back into the fire stairs and ran up to the next level. The sign in the stairwell said that this floor contained the mayor's office, sheriff's office, city council chambers, and something called, vaguely, Records._

_The door was locked. Shane rattled it and banged for entrance, but nobody came to the rescue._

_"Guess we go up," he said._

_The third floor had no signs in the stairwell at all, but there was a symbol-the Founder's glyph, like the one on Claire's bracelet. Shane turned the knob, but again, the door didn't open. "I didn't think they could do that to fire stairs," Eve said._

_"Yeah, call a cop." Shane looked up the steps. "One more floor, and then it's just the roof, and I'm thinking that's not a good idea, the roof."_

_"Wait." Claire studied the Founder's glyph for a few seconds, then shrugged and reached out to turn the knob._

_Something clicked, and it turned. The door opened._

_"How did you . . . ?"_

_Claire held up her wrist, and the gold bracelet. "It was worth a shot. I thought, maybe with a gold bracelet-"_

_"Genius. Go on, get inside," Shane said, and hustled them in. The door clicked shut behind them, and locked with a snap of metal. The hallway seemed dark, after the fluorescent lights in the stairs, and that was because the lights were dimmed way down, the carpet was dark, and so was the wood panelling._

_It reminded Claire eerily of the hallway where they'd rescued Myrnin, only there weren't as many doors opening off it. Shane took the lead-of course-but the doors they could open were just simple offices, nothing fancy about them at all._

_And then there was a door at the end of the hall with the Founder's Symbol etched on the polished brass doorknob. Shane tried it, shook his head, and motioned for Claire._

_It opened easily at her touch._

_Inside were-apartments. Chambers? Claire didn't know what else to call them; there was an entire complex of rooms leading from one central area._

_It was like stepping into a whole different world, and Claire could tell that it had once been beautiful: a fairy tale room, of rich satin on the walls, Persian rugs, delicate white and gold furniture._

_"Michael? Mayor Morrell? Richard?"_

_It was a queen's room, and somebody had completely wrecked it. Most of the furniture was overturned, some kicked to pieces. Mirrors smashed. Fabrics ripped._

_Claire froze._

_Lying on the remaining long, delicate sofa was François, Bishop's other loyal vampire buddy, who'd come to Morganville along with Ysandre as his entourage. The vampire looked completely at ease-legs crossed at the ankles, head propped on a plump satin pillow. A big crystal glass of something in dark red rested on his chest._

_He giggled and saluted them with the blood. "Hello, little friends," he said. "We weren't expecting you, but you'll do. We're almost out of refreshments."_

_"Out," Shane said, and shoved Eve toward the door._

_It slammed shut before she could reach it, and there stood Mr Bishop, still dressed in his long purple cassock from the feast. It was still torn on the side, where Myrnin had slashed at him with the knife._

_There was something so ancient about him, so completely uncaring, that Claire felt her mouth go dry. "Where is she?" Bishop asked. "I know you've seen my daughter. I can smell her on you."_

_"Ewww," Eve said, very faintly. "So much more than I needed to know."_

_Bishop didn't look away from Claire's face, just pointed at Eve. "Silence, or be silenced. When I want to know your opinion, I'll consult your entrails."_

_Eve shut up. François swung his legs over the edge of the sofa and sat up in one smooth motion. He downed the rest of his glass of blood and let the glass fall, shedding crimson drops all over the pale carpet. He'd gotten some on his fingers. He licked them, then smeared the rest all over the satin wall._

_"Please," he said, and batted his long lashed eyes at Eve. "Please, say something. I love entrails."_

_She shrank back against the wall. Even Shane stayed quiet, though Claire could tell he was itching to pull her to safety. You can't protect me, she thought fiercely. Don't try._

_"You don't know where Amelie is?" Claire asked Bishop directly. "How's that master plan going, then?"_

_"Oh, it's going just fine," Bishop said. "Oliver is dead by now. Myrnin-well, we both know that Myrnin is insane, at best, and homicidal at his even better. I'm rather hoping he'll come charging to your rescue and forget who you are once he arrives. That would be amusing, and very typical of him, I'm afraid." Bishop's eyes bored into hers, and Claire felt the net closing around her. "Where is Amelie?"_

_"Where you'll never find her."_

_"Fine. Let her lurk in the shadows with her creations, until hunger or the humans destroy them. This doesn't have to be a battle, you know. It can be a war of attrition just as easily. I have the high ground." He gestured around the ruined apartment with one lazy hand. "And of course, I have everyone here, whether they know it or not."_

_She didn't hear him move, but flinched as François trailed cold fingers across the back of her neck, then gripped her tightly._

_"Just like that," Bishop said. "Just precisely like that." He nodded to François._

_"If you want her, take her. I'm no longer interested in Amelie's pets. Take these others, too, unless you wish to save them for later."_

_Claire heard Shane whisper, "No," and heard the complete despair in his voice just as Bishop's follower wrenched her head over to the side, baring her neck._

_She felt his lips touch her skin. They burned like ice._

_"Ah!" François jerked his head back. "You little peasant." He used a fold of her shirt to take hold of the silver chain around her neck, and broke it with a sharp twist._

_Claire caught the cross in her hand as it fell._

_"May it comfort you," Bishop said, and smiled. "My child."_

_And then François bit her_


	2. Chapter 2

Claire's change 

_Last chapter: _

_Claire caught the cross in her hand as it fell._

_"May it comfort you," Bishop said, and smiled. "My child."_

_And then François bit her._

Chapter two: 

I felt something warm running down my dry, hallow throat it had a strange taste to this liquid but I wanted more. The liquid soon stopped running down my throat it felt empty, I slowly opened my eyes to see François looking at me with some sort of emotion in his eyes. I closed my eyes again hoping that what had happened to me was just a dream. I opened my eyes again to see something I hadn't expected I saw things I had forgotten from a long time ago. I saw him the man I had loved years ago but it was so long ago over 50 years; I wish I could remember more what had happened to me and why I was here in Morganville.

The things I had forgotten was of my life with the boy from my childhood he was sweet, handsome and kind he was always sweet to everyone. Till one day when we were both young adults something happened to him. He had stopped coming to see me I wished he would come to see me but he never did. I went to his house one night to see what had happened to him, I really wish I hadn't done that. Because he was there the devil himself he had changed my love into a monster but I still loved him even more than before but my life changed again like it was now because my love fought the devil to stop him changing me into a monster like him. But my life was destroyed with one swipe the devil had thrown me across the room into a large nail pointing out of the wall I started bleeding my life slipping away. I saw my love run over to me even though he knew it was too dangerous for him to control himself. I told him something I had wanted to say for years, "My childhood friend I'm sorry it has to end this way but I will always love you." I said slowly I took my last breathe and heard the last words from my love.

"I love you too." he said I closed my eyes for the last time and I woke to see the devil in a strange, dark room.

"Hello again I'm glad you're dying because now he will do as I say like the good boy he is. So I've got to think of a punishment for you after your interruption with my new slave." He said hatefully towards me. The next thing I knew I woke in a hospital room full of babies, I looked to the windows to see two grown-Ups they pointed towards me. In that moment a young nurse came to me picking me up in a nice pink blanket and brought me to the window where the grown-Ups where they smiled to each other like I wasn't there. I started screaming like a baby what was wrong with me what had the devil done with me?

I wanted to forget what had happened to me but I would have nightmares every night they never went away but I could never forget my love. When I came to Morganville I fell in love with Shane and go to know things about my new friends. But they didn't know that much about me and my nightmares, I had told my parents about them when I was five and I started seeing a therapist. I soon got off it with faking everything but I never forgot anything. Maybe that was just it, what I was seeing was just fake but all of the emotions were real I knew that. I would think of the day when I would see my love again I just didn't think I would after waiting for sixteen years.

_I saw him as he walked into the house I saw his piercing blue eyes that had always made me feel like a weeping girl. I looked at Eve she seemed to be mesmerised by his bright blue eyes, his longish blond hair I wanted to run my fingers through but it would seem strange. He looked strangely at me he must have recognised me but the devil named Bishop looked at him then at me, he must have seen me when I looked fifty years ago. He whispered into François's ear and he looked at me I saw the emotions in his sweet, kind eyes but Shane came over to me being so over protective. The look in his eyes made me want to cry but I couldn't in front of the others, I went into the kitchen to start on the breakfast I had offered to make with the others. _

I remember that but as I opened my eyes he was in front of me the devil Bishop, he smiled at me evilly I knew he recognised me and it wasn't a good thing not the first time not the second time. "So I see my punishment didn't work very well because now François is questioning everything I've ever asked him to do. Because I came here for my book and you happened to be here also friends with my daughter but why?" He asked me I couldn't answer him because his hand came around my throat I started struggling against his hold. Soon someone came into the room, it was François he pulled Bishop away and it seemed as if he really saw me but what he said next was something I wish I hadn't heard. "Come on we need to get to your daughter before she gets away and we might have some help in hand." he really had changed but what had Bishop meant about him questioning everything he had ever asked and I didn't look anymore different that I had when I was first born. I got up and looked at Bishop, "What have you done to me is it the same as what you did to my love fifty years ago." I asked in that moment François had a light bulb moment and with a flash Bishop was across the room against the wall. "Is this TRUE!" He shouted in that second something on my arm snapped into an awakening I peeled François off of Bishop and Bishop seemed pleased.

"What have you done to me?" I shouted at him, François held me back he turned me away to face him, he looked into my eyes then he saw me really saw me.

"It's really you, it's you my love. I'm sorry I couldn't save you and you became a monster like Me." he said to me, I looked at him and Bishop cleared his throat behind us.

"Well I'm glad you two are both fine and catching up with each other but we have things to do," he said with a smile. "Lovely Claire could you please come with us we have some business to sort out with my daughter." The same thing happened again my arm snapped into the order, I had no control over any of this what so ever, I wanted this to stop I looked at François for help but I understood from the look in his eyes that he couldn't help me.

We were soon in the hallway of the building I saw some movement in front of us but my eyes still couldn't see, I knew what I was I was a vampire and I had lost everything but gained much more. I had my love, which I had lost fifty years ago but I promised I was going to keep him. The movement got closer it was all of Bishops people including the bitch Ysandre she wasn't too happy about me being brought to the other side as she put it. But something in that movement said vampire to me because as it got closer I saw who it was. It was Myrnin, I'd only freed him hours ago so what was he doing here? I soon got my answer he was working for Bishop this was not good for Amelie, I had to warn her but she might have been told about François biting me. I looked at him in the corner of my eye he was looking at me smiling one of his amazing smiles, but this wasn't good not at all because Myrnin had noticed me still breathing of sorts. "Hello my child I thought your friends had said you were not living any more well in ways you aren't anymore but who did this to you?" he asked me François cleared his throat, in seconds he was against the wall with Myrnin holding his throat I ran over trying to pull Myrnin away from him but it wouldn't work.

"Myrnin please leave him alone I'm ok really." I told him he stopped to look at me with concern written on his face.

"What do you mean my girl?" I looked at Bishop he wasn't looking happy about the delay of our talking but it was to save my love that was important to me and stopping Bishop.

"I died over fifty years ago as a human by Bishop, I knew François before then when he was also human and Bishop cursed me to be reborn far away from François I well then here I am. I guess." I told him that was the sort version of the tale but it was best not to say everything at this point. Myrnin seemed to understand that there was more to the story too but he didn't press for more, Bishop cleared his throat and we started to move on to find Amelie to my displeasure.

_**The end**_


	3. Chapter 3

Claire's change 

_Myrnin seemed to understand that there was more to the story too but he didn't press for more, Bishop cleared his throat and we started to move on to find Amelie to my displeasure._

Chapter three: 

I was walking down the hall of the City hall while holding François's hand Ysandre had caught up with us on our way to find Amelie Myrnin was leading us to her, I'd thought he was her friend boy was I wrong. We arrived in the 'battle field' I stood behind François so I couldn't be seen by anyone, Myrnin had told me to stay with him so he also couldn't be seen he told me the others had gotten out of the City hall after the hurricane had gone through that they were safe in his lab, I knew Bishop was going to use them against me if I went against his orders. "Come on daughter why don't you just hand over the book already." Bishop shouted from across the room to Amelie she smiled then a portal opened behind her she walked through with the others. Bishop was angry so hit out his hit got both me and François we went flying into the wall across the room, I coughed up blood from the hit François seemed angry that he'd hit me but he didn't do anything fear of what he'd do next.

"Are you well now my love?" he asked me I nodded my head he helped me up we walked off to our new secret 'villain' lair Bishop walked to his throne to be interrupted by some of his guards they had Theo Goldman and his family being dragged in I was beside François when they came into the room. They all looked around the room all their eyes widen when they saw me then turned to Bishop; he gave one of his evil smiles.

"Welcome Theo to my new Liar its lovely isn't but I brought you here because well you see I need you to do me a favour, I want you to get me the book and Amelie or it'll be at the cost of your family do you understand." Bishop said to Theo the guards let him go then I moved over at vamp speed to help him up.

"I'm so sorry Theo," I said to him he looked into my eyes seeing just the old Claire he'd seen some time ago.

"Dear could you take Theo to Myrnin's lab please no emotion please?" Bishop laughed behind us I nod my head taking Theo by the arm out of the room to a near portal I could open to take Theo to Myrnin's lab.

"So what happened to you the last time we had a talk young Claire?" Theo asked me I looked at the floor while walking down the hall.

"My friends and I went to City hall we got their trying to get everyone out but it was too late François turned me but I don't mind it I've found my love again after fifty years." I told him I'd told him too much already.

"I see so you were reborn because of Bishop I remember meeting François for the first time he seemed so upset I understand now so I still have to do what Bishop asked me to do?" he asked me I looked at him then nodded.

"I'm sorry I can't do anything about that but just be careful around Myrnin he'd not in his right mind." I warned him, Myrnin was a double agent I had realised he was working for both Bishop and Amelie I had taken it upon myself to get Bishop's blood for the cure and I was going to do it or die trying, I had things to do before I died again. We reached an open portal that I had found I used the frequency to Myrnin's lab he was there with the Eve, Michael and Shane they looked sad maybe thinking I was dead because Myrnin wasn't allowed to tell them or anyone I was alive. I held Theo to the wall cutting his windpipe, "Don't forget your family is on the line and if you tell them about me I'll kill them myself I have things on the line just like you do you understand." I said hard I couldn't of cared then I needed this to be kept a secret them not knowing was for the best, I throw him into the portal it then closed behind him he went to the floor I saw Myrnin in front maybe trying to open another portal I walked away when it closed I met Ysandre on the way she wasn't too happy.

"You may think you have Bishop and François wrapped around your finger but I'm not fooled so easily." She said with venom in her words.

"Sorry but what is wrong with being me that you find so annoying I mean I'm not slut like you, by the way you can have Shane he'll kill you once he sees you anyway and I know Bishop would get angry if I did." I said I walked away but she pulled me back pushing me into the wall, that was a bad move I kicked her hard in the leg so she faulted then roundhouse kicked her around the side she went flying I vamped ran back to François he looked worried I walked over.

"Are you well my love you seem unrested?" he asked me I nodded my head then kissed him on the lips softly. We walked away to our room he closed the door behind us still kissing me we became so engorged in this kiss I didn't care what was happening I just wanted François, I then thought what had happened after I left Theo?

**Eve's pov: ****I decided to have a couple of other people's points of view I'll have more of Claire later. This is as Theo is thrown into Myrnin's lab. **

We all got to take Myrnin to his cell Michael had thought it be best he seemed out of it lately, but as Myrnin had sorted himself out Theo Goldman came through a portal Myrnin and Michael tried reaching the portal before it closed but it shut before they reached it. I wondered who had done this to Theo he seemed to be breathing hard for some reason he got up with some help from Myrnin. "What happened to you when you left you're not injured are you?" Myrnin asked he shook his head as if he were in shock.

"I'm fine she didn't hurt me that much but I need you to find Amelie Bishop says he wants her and the book or he'll kill my family, you have to find her Myrnin you have the blood tie so you could find them." Theo told us it seemed unfair to hold his hostage but who was this 'She' that he was talking about.

"Theo who took you here?" Myrnin asked him before I could.

"She told me not to it was one of Bishop's new people its not good Myrnin it's really not we have to find Amelie." Theo answered.

"I can't send Amelie to Bishop I know it's between them but it won't solve anything just cause more trouble." Myrnin replied, "I have another idea" he said I looked at the boys then back at Myrnin.

"I'm coming with you Claire would want me too," I said Theo muttered under his breath I didn't hear it but I think Michael did. They agreed to join after we walked through the now opened portal to some dark area I think Claire had said she'd been here before which didn't sound very nice. Thinking about her didn't help me I had cried when Shane had taken me away but I just couldn't now Shane hated himself for not saving her when he could but Bishop had gone with Claire's body I just hoped that Claire had rested in peace. I thought this as we walked down the dark hall; we went into another portal across the hall we went through to a jail room of sorts where Myrnin must stay when he's extra crazy we kept going running this time staying away from the cells. "I really wish I wore different shoes," I said we soon stopped at the end of the hall there was a massive wooden door there, medieval style with thick, hand hammered iron bands, and the Founder's Symbol etched into the old wood. Myrnin turned around to face us all,

"Do you trust me at all?" he asked I nodded my head knowing this was just right to trust him the boys also nodded their heads as well "Then I will apologize now for what I'm about to do." He them did the unthinkable he took Shane by the shirt while kicking the door open he took Shane then closed the door behind them. I screamed Shane's name as I tried to open the door but it wouldn't open, we heard something behind us we looked to see it was all the cell doors opening all Vamps and humans coming out towards us this was not good at all. Michael walked away from me leaving me alone he soon reached the first vamp they didn't fight instead they just greeted each other this wasn't good they were welcoming each other then I saw that they had bite marks on them like Michael had. the door then opened behind me On the other side was a big stone hall, something straight out of a castle, and the wooden throne that I remembered from the welcome feast was here, sitting up on a stage. It was draped in red velvet sitting on the throne was Mr Bishop. He had François and some girl behind him then on the other side a scared up Ysandre, Shane was being held down by Myrnin on the stone floor he was struggling but he wasn't getting anywhere. Michael then came into the room but it wasn't the one I knew, I then spoke for the first time while they had a small discussion "Look just let Shane go please," I asked.

"Sorry little girl but I need the boy but I don't need you at all so Myrnin do I have what I want?" he asked Myrnin he took the book from Shane then Bishop looked at François by his side because if Myrnin let Shane up something bad was going to happen. "Dear could you take the book please it seems the jester can't move," he asked the girl from behind François let go of his hand then came out it was Claire she seemed so different I nearly didn't recognise her. Her hair looked longer also she wore something I'd never think of wearing it being a little old fashioned something was going on between her and François that didn't seem to good. She walked over to Myrnin and Shane he soon noticed too and stopped struggling she nodded to Ysandre she came over taking the book from Claire she bent down to Shane's ear what she must of told him must of angered him because he started struggling again and shouting her name as she walked over to François. Once she reached him she kissed him powerfully she kissed his check then said the five words I'd never thought I'd hear Claire say to anyone but Shane, "I love you my love."

"My lord what now with the Goldman's," Myrnin said Bishop looked at him confused.

"Who… ah yes they will be very safe." Bishop replied.

"And unharmed?" Myrnin asked.

Are you putting conditions on our little agreement?" Bishop asked. "Very well. They go free, and unharmed. Let all witness that Theo Goldman and his family will take no harm from me or mine, but they are not welcome in Morganville. I will not have them here."

Myrnin inclined his head. He lowered himself to one knee in front of the throne, and lifted the book in both hands over his head, offering it up.

Bishop's fingers closed on it, and he let out a long, rattling sigh. "At last," he said. "At last." He opened the book looking through the pages Myrnin had let go of Shane he got up and started walking over to me to comfort me but he never made it Michael tackled him to the floor Michael was snarling at Shane Bishop was ignoring them he turned to Claire again. "My dear could you do something for me," he said to Claire she went over to him he took some pages out of the book Myrnin walked forward, "Myrnin I have something for you to do. I want you to get me Oliver's head." He said while putting the pages around Claire's arm she snarled as it ripped into her skin she then stood again and ran over to Fancies he confronted her like Shane use to do for her, but something was more to them. Myrnin was smiling still at the request that Bishop had given him he walked off he was then out of the room again leaving me all alone. Then someone stood behind me it was Claire I noticed because she wasn't by François she wasn't Claire not really,

"Do as he tells you Eve he's dangerous and tell Amelie everything but me I need your help please I'm still Claire just not Claire Danvers I'm Claire De La Fuente just say that name to Amelie she'll have everything you need." Claire told me in a hushed whisper she looked at Bishop.

"Dear what should we do with your old friend here?" he asked her she looked at my neck it scared me.

"Let her go I believe the fools wrestling over there the bigger fool he can help control his pathetic father. Oh by the way fool one your father was captured I love what he said about me but tell you what he won't last too long under our rule." She said Michael picked him up effortlessly Bishop nodded to Claire's idea then to Michael.

"Yes we could use him to control him father Michael take him to the cell with his father." He told Michael he takes Shane away I'm left with Claire. "What about your other friend?" he looks at me with hunger in his eye.

"She should run that's what I think." Claire said she wanted me to run more than I really did that second.

"Then go," Bishop said, and smiled chillingly at Eve. "Run away. Find Amelie and tell her this: I have taken her town away, and all that she values. Tell her I have the book. If she wants it back, she'll have to come for it herself."

I angrily wiped tears from my face that I hadn't realised were there, I glaring at him. "She'll come. And I'll come with her. You don't own jack. This is our town, and we're going to kick you out if it's the last thing we do."

The assembled vampires all laughed. Bishop said, "Then come. We'll be waiting. Won't we, Claire?"

"Yes," she said, and went to sit down on the steps by his feet. "We'll be waiting."

He snapped his fingers. "Then let's begin our celebration, and in the morning, we'll talk about how Morganville will be run from now on. According to my wishes," I ran out of the room fast a portal swallowed me up to me being in a room along with Amelie, Myrnin, Oliver, Sam and other vamps they looked down at me as I fell into the room.

"What is she doing in here?" Oliver asked rudely.

"I'm not quite sure Eve what has happened since Myrnin left you?" Amelie asked, I looked at Myrnin I got up and pulled on his shirt.

"You idiot how could you do that now Michael is gone, Shane's in jail and Claire De Le Fuente is alive what is going on?" I shouted at him, this got Amelie's attention.

"Wait she's alive but that's impossible Myrnin why didn't you tell us," Amelie said franticly I didn't understand what that was meant to mean but Claire was French like François was I guess that means they knew each other once upon a time.

"I'm afraid so she's been here all this time we have to help her take down Bishop from the inside but he put the curse on here she has to obey his orders." Myrnin said I looked at Sam he must have known about what happened to Michael.

"So what's happening now?" I asked they looked at then I realised I was to be kept in the dark because I was only human.

"You will find Claire De Le Fuente she seems to like you so I want you to find her bring her here also Myrnin you will help her do so I will sort out our plans for the event coming up," Amelie said.

Myrnin and I left them later on looking for Claire De Le Fuente it actually wasn't that hard because Monica was beating her up like I had thought. She was with Fancies as always he was watching as she as she was getting beat up I saw red at first then Claire dropped to the floor bleeding. Monica laughed at her as she lay on the floor, then I heard another laugh it was coming from Claire she got up as she healed "Really you didn't notice my eyes?" she asked I hadn't but then I looked at Myrnin for the answer.

"She has deadly eyes people become entranced in her eyes they are different colours one is red like blood the other gold like desire she had them when she was first born into this world where she lived in France with her aunt her parents had died when she was three again by Bishop her parents created the book her mother died giving birth to Claire she was young too her father was the person Bishop talked about killing to gain the book before Amelie had it. She met François while living with her aunt they fell in love at a young age but when she died after he was turned it was Bishop who killed her he was living in a shack with a lot of dangerous areas she died painfully I'm afraid. But that's why she wants Bishop to pay." Myrnin told me, I looked at Claire again she had Monica by the hair whispering in her ear she then drops her to the floor she runs over to Françoise hugging him Monica runs off into the school building she sees us staring at them then walks over.

"So she wants to see me doesn't she I'm not going to do anything dangerous I promise anyway she can't see me yet give it more time." She told us Francis looked at her she kissed him then whispered in his ear he nodded. "François is in on this understood I want that made clear to everyone I'll have Michael brought to Amelie when I can." She told us then walked away holding François's hand they walked into a portal maybe to Bishop's lair, I looked at Myrnin.

"So what are we going to do now?" I asked him, he looked at Sam that was across the road looking at us in a kind of horror.


	4. Chapter 4

Claire's change

_"So what are we going to do now?" I asked him, he looked at Sam that was across the road looking at us in a kind of horror._

_**Chapter four: **_

**This is from Shane's point of view from before they all go to bishop's new villain lair just so you know. **

We were all sitting around in Myrnin's cell after he had saved us from the hurricane after shock in city hall just thinking about it made me think of Claire it killed me remembering François draining her then leaving her there I tried getting her but Bishop stopped me.

Eve told me we were taking Myrnin to his cell Michael said it would be best but he didn't seem himself at the moment. When Myrnin was trying to open a portal one opened to Theo Goldman came through Myrnin and Michael tried reaching the portal but it closed before they could get to it. It seemed strange then I saw Theo he was breathing heavily but I didn't understand why vamps didn't need to, Myrnin helped him up from the floor as he asked Theo "What happened to you when you left you're not injured are you?" Myrnin asked he shook his head as if he were in shock.

"I'm fine she didn't hurt me that much but I need you to find Amelie Bishop says he wants her and the book or he'll kill my family, you have to find her Myrnin you have the blood tie so you could find them." Theo told us it seemed unfair to hold his hostage but who was this 'She' that he was talking about.

"Theo who took you here?" Myrnin asked him before I could.

"She told me not to it was one of Bishop's new people its not good Myrnin it's really not we have to find Amelie." Theo answered.

"I can't send Amelie to Bishop I know it's between them but it won't solve anything just cause more trouble." Myrnin replied, "I have another idea" he said Eve looked at me and Michael then back at Myrnin.

"I'm coming with you Claire would want me too," Eve said Theo muttered under his breath I didn't hear it but I think Michael did. We agreed to join after we walked through the now opened portal to some dark area I think Claire had said she'd been here before which didn't sound very nice. Thinking about her didn't help me I hated myself for not saving her when I could but Bishop had gone with Claire's body I just hoped that Claire could rest in peace. I thought this as we walked down the dark hall; we went into another portal across the hall we went through to a jail room of sorts where Myrnin must stay when he's extra crazy we kept going running this time staying away from the cells. "I really wish I wore different shoes," Eve complained we soon stopped at the end of the hall there was a massive wooden door there, medieval style with thick, hand hammered iron bands, and the Founder's Symbol etched into the old wood. Myrnin turned around to face us all,

"Do you trust me at all?" he asked Eve nodded her head first then so did me and Michael also nodded our heads as well "Then I will apologize now for what I'm about to do." He them did the unthinkable he took me by the shirt while kicking the door open he took me then closed the door behind them. Eve screamed my name as she tried to open the door but it wouldn't open; on the other side was a big stone hall, something straight out of a castle, and the wooden throne that I remembered from the welcome feast was here, sitting up on a stage. It was draped in red velvet sitting on the throne was Mr Bishop. He had François and some girl behind him then on the other side a scared up Ysandre, I was being held down by Myrnin on the stone floor I struggled but I wasn't getting anywhere. The door that I had just been pulled through opened behind me it was Eve she was all alone looking scared she looked around the room then Michael came into the room but it wasn't the one we knew, while they had a small discussion "Look just let Shane go please," Eve asked.

"Sorry little girl but I need the boy but I don't need you at all so Myrnin do I have what I want?" he asked Myrnin he took the book from me as I lay on the floor then Bishop looked at François by his side because if Myrnin let me up something bad was going to happen. "Dear could you take the book please it seems the jester can't move," he asked the girl from behind François let go of his hand then came out it was Claire she seemed so different I nearly didn't recognise her. Her hair looked longer also she wore something I'd never think of wearing it being a little old fashioned something was going on between her and François that didn't seem to good. She walked over to Myrnin and me this made me stop struggling she nodded to Ysandre she came over taking the book from Claire she bent down to my ear "Don't worry Shane faking something is easy isn't it but maybe falling in love is the hardest but that made me realise what a pathetic man you are father like son I guess." She whispered in my ear I started to get really angry making me struggling again I shouting her name as she walked over to François. Once she reached him she kissed him powerfully she kissed his check then said the five words I'd never thought I'd hear Claire say to anyone but me, "I love you my love."

"My lord what now with the Goldman's," Myrnin said Bishop looked at him confused.

"Who… ah yes they will be very safe." Bishop replied.

"And unharmed?" Myrnin asked.

"Are you putting conditions on our little agreement?" Bishop asked. "Very well. They go free, and unharmed. Let all witness that Theo Goldman and his family will take no harm from me or mine, but they are not welcome in Morganville. I will not have them here."

Myrnin inclined his head. He lowered himself to one knee in front of the throne, and lifted the book in both hands over his head, offering it up.

Bishop's fingers closed on it, and he let out a long, rattling sigh. "At last," he said. "At last." He opened the book looking through the pages Myrnin had let go of me, I got up from the floor then started walking over to Eve to comfort her but I never made it to her Michael tackled me to the floor Michael was snarling at me Bishop was ignoring us he turned to Claire again. "My dear could you do something for me," he said to Claire she went over to him he took some pages out of the book Myrnin walked forward, "Myrnin I have something for you to do. I want you to get me Oliver's head." He said while putting the pages around Claire's arm she snarled as it ripped into her skin she then stood again and ran over to Fancies he confronted her like I use to do for her, but something was more to them. Myrnin was smiling still at the request that Bishop had given him he walked off he was then out of the room again leaving me all alone. I was still struggling with Michael I noticed that Claire was behind Eve I tried getting Michael off me but it didn't work she was talking to each other it seemed important she was looking at Bishop.

"Dear what should we do with your old friend here?" he asked her she looked at Eve's neck it scared me to think she would drain Eve.

"Let her go I believe the fools wrestling over there the bigger fool he can help control his pathetic father. Oh by the way fool one your father was captured I love what he said about me but tell you what he won't last too long under our rule." She said Michael picked me up effortlessly Bishop nodded to Claire's idea then to Michael.

"Yes we could use him to control him father Michael take him to the cell with his father." He told Michael he takes me away into a room down a hallway the third door was opened to see a cell I really hated them after what happened after my dad had killed Brandon. My dad was in the cell that Michael throw me in he was already on the other side of the bunk sleeping it seemed.

I've been sitting here for some time now just thinking about Claire the Claire I knew always cared she's changed so has Michael but it has to be François messing with Claire and Bishop messing with Michael. I had to get this sorted but what could I do.

**Eve's pov: **

Oh no this was not good Sam raced over looking at me and Myrnin, "I can explain Sam really I can." That was a lie this wasn't supposed to happen what was I going to do before I could do anything Claire came back hitting Sam over the head he fell to the ground.

"Sorry Sam it has got to be kept a secret, Eve take him away Myrnin Bishop wants you to bring Oliver's head still just don't be an idiot okay I'm trying to get his blood it's not easy." Claire told us I looked at her she'd changed out of the outfit into something she always wore she looked back at Sam then dragged him into a portal that François came out of.

"My love Bishop is waiting for you." he said he seemed kinder to me now like he had seen the light then I heard a loud cackling it sounded bad really bad we all froze in our place then all looked to see both Bishop and Ysandre looking at us.

"Well my dear I see that you have found Myrnin but really you think you can stop me from taking this town I don't think so my dear not when you wear that mark on your arm you are mine so, my dear I believe you will kill your dear friend and my daughter's beloved don't you." he requested my death I didn't understand till I saw both Myrnin and François holding her back she was screaming for them to keep her hold while she fought to kill me and Sam I dragged him away into the still opened portal to Amelie's room she was waiting in her desk chair staring at me.

"I see François really is on our side I didn't believe but now I have no choice but to believe so Eve are you going to explain what is happening to Claire" Amelie asked. I nodded my head then walked over to her desk she looked so much like a queen.

"Well Claire said she was going to get Bishops blood for the cure she's been working on and well Bishop was trying to make Claire kill me and Sam but she made Myrnin and François hold her so she wouldn't kill us that's all I know" I told her, she nodded her head again then got up a portal opened to show a struggling Michael I looked at him confused then I saw who was holding him it was Claire.

"As you requested Amelie but this is getting too hard Bishop knows what's going on I can't hold on much longer so hurry." Claire said she steadied Michael he went still then Amelie went over to him biting him in the neck again this must have been the plan I saw Sam waking up beside me Michael dropped to the floor then Claire looked at her arm it was glowing a small red it was moving she seemed to flinch at this.

"Claire you know you have to do it to stop that from happening he'll take control again killing anyone you love even François." Amelie stated looking at Claire she nodded then steadied her arm in front of Amelie she took a knife from her pocket it was a silver one this didn't look good.

"Do it Amelie I don't want this I'll get the blood tonight if you do this for me he's having everyone in the town to come to a meeting he's planning to kill any enemy I've had Shane and his father released there both safe just hurry he'll call me back soon." Claire said she looked at me then closed her eyes as the knife went into her arm a burst of bright red light came out of her arm along with blood she screamed from the pain, Michael and Sam had woken up standing beside me looking at the scene in front of us. The screaming continued for some time then it stopped Claire fell to the floor the cut on her arm was closing I ran over to see her she was unconscious. Michael came over too along with Sam,

"Will she be okay?" Michael asked he looked up at her she nodded her head to say she would be fine I looked at Claire again her eyes were open but they weren't red they were normal, "Claire I'd stay down and Eve move away she'll need blood." Michael ordered but Amelie allowed her to stand up I went over hugging Claire she hugged me back.

"Claire I was so worried about you I'm glad you're okay now so what's happening tonight?" I asked she looked at Michael then at Amelie.

"Bishop is ordering the whole town to attend a meeting that will be held tonight it's for anyone who is against him to make themselves known that's why I had Shane and Frank moved to a safe location and brought in Michael Amelie is it ready?" she was talking now but it was too late what if everyone I knew was killed this was bad as if Claire could hear my thoughts she said "Eve there not it will be me to do so, so stop worrying about those people anyway you'll be away with Shane and his dad it'll be safer for you along with Michael he's no good to us." She said as if Michael wasn't any use he could beat Oliver he could take on another vampire I was sure.

"Claire I can help what you mean you're a new vampire your no use to us." Michael replied rudely. This got a bad glare from both Amelie and Claire she went over to him kicking him across the room which must have hurt.

"Actually I'm older than you both but together I've fought a lot in the French revelation along with François now I'd like you to apologies and it's so that Eve, Shane and Frank are not unsafe it's so they will be safe with you just don't give Frank a weapon he nearly staked me when I let him go." Claire said she looked at an open portal as François walked through he nodded his head to Amelie there seemed to be something between them but Michael got up and Sam and him went to him Claire got in front blocking them, "You two stop he's on our side so I'd think again so get ready to meet here before 7 that's when the meeting starts and our plan comes into action." She said I looked at Amelie she seemed okay but something in her eyes didn't look right she was watching both Claire and Sam with worry. But why?

_**The end**_


	5. Chapter 5

Claire's change

_"You two stop he's on our side so I'd think again so get ready to meet here before 7 that's when the meeting starts and our plan comes into action." She said I looked at Amelie she seemed okay but something in her eyes didn't look right she was watching both Claire and Sam with worry. But why?_

_Chapter five _

**Eve's pov:**

It was 7 o'clock I sitting in a safe house with Shane, his dad and Michael we heard screaming from far away it was scaring me just thinking about what was happening.

**Amelie's pov: **

I was waiting for Claire to arrive but she hadn't shown neither had Sam I was tied up in silver chains by François which had been part of the plan he seemed worried about Claire as well but what had happened? I heard Bishop talking to everyone it was 7 o'clock now I heard a scream it was a girls I saw Ysandre smile at this I was brought out to see Claire being drained by Bishop she was pulling away but it was no use François let me go but I still couldn't move he ran over but Ysandre the bitch stopped him in his tracks. I saw Sam standing chained as well he looked hurt but the plan was working I saw Claire drop to the floor as Bishop became dizzy he stumbled as Myrnin and Oliver came over they attacked him pulling him to the floor staking him it was all over I saw François over by Claire she was weak from all the blood that had been taken I was taken from the chains I ran over to her she was so pale than before I asked for a few blood bags for her she smiled at François as he whispered to her Myrnin got the blood bags as Oliver released Sam the humans had all run out after the doors had been opened. I saw Michael, Eve and Shane run through I guessed Frank had disappeared they ran over as Claire drank the blood her eyes were crimson as François held her so she wouldn't attack anyone.

She soon fell asleep in François room the next thing that happened was Shane attacked François they were shouting at each other but François wasn't hitting him he was standing taking the hits so he wouldn't hurt anyone I hadn't noticed Claire getting up next to me. "He was always like that when I was younger the other boys are our school use to hit him for being weak he just took it I learnt then that if you take the hit your no weaker than the person hitting you." She told me I had always wondered why Claire had taken everything from other people I heard a shriek from Eve as she hugged Claire she hugged her back so did Michael then Shane stopped hitting François as he fell to the floor Claire ran past Shane as his arms where open he seemed disappointed she ran to François side he was badly beaten I walked over to them he seemed happy to see Claire. "Come on stop smiling you just got beaten up by Shane really come on stop if I lose you again I'll never forgive you do you understand." I didn't understand what she was talking about them I saw what Shane had done he had up silver into his blood stream Claire was crying her eyes had gone crimson she got up running at top speed to Shane she grabbed him at a run pushing him to a wall he let out a loud crack as his back made contact. "I hate you Shane Collins you kill him I will kill you do you understand because François is my everything." She shouted at him she was upset I saw Myrnin carefully walk behind her she was like a deadly animal needing taken care of if you made one wrong move you were dead. He yanked her away from him I had a blood bag shoved in my face from Oliver I gave it to François carefully I got a silver knife staking out some blood that would help take most of the silver from his blood then gave him the rest of the blood he drank three bags and recovered his strength while Claire was fighting to get to Shane François went over to them getting in her way as she freed her way from Myrnin they crashed to the floor hugging Claire was crying again she kissed him with passion we all turned around for them to get some privacy.

**Claire's pov: **

As I was fighting Myrnin to get free I kept thinking of what my life would be like when François would die it scared me because I had died first but brought back again fifty years later then now I would be alone. I saw red after Shane had put silver into François's blood I wanted him dead if François died that was all I wanted he had smiled while I held him then I got free of Myrnin's hold I ran fast at Shane then a full recovered François ran into my path I crashed into him hugging him to death we crashed to the floor I was crying again but with happiness I kissed him with all the passion I had in one kiss it was so much like a dream I got up helping him up then I saw Eve kissing Michael I had to laugh then I saw the same with Sam and Amelie it made me laugh harder I looked back at Shane he seemed upset then I took off the ring Shane had given me I gave it to him then walked off into the sunset with my love.

**The end**


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a short sum up of what happened after the little fight in my last chapter and sorry it took so long to update but I had mock exams to do hope you like. **

Claire's change

_then I saw Eve kissing Michael I had to laugh then I saw the same with Sam and Amelie it made me laugh harder I looked back at Shane he seemed upset then I took off the ring Shane had given me I gave it to him then walked off into the sunset with my love._

Chapter six

**Shane's pov: **

She had given back the ring that I had given her the one where I said I loved her I still did I guess but for some reason I felt not as empty as I thought I would if I didn't have Claire in my life. I had learned that she was older than she looked that might have helped me get over her but I wasn't sure, also that she was in love with that dick François but I learned they had been in love since they were children that made me feel kind of sad about that and I felt sorry for Claire about how she had died.

Were friends now me and Claire I don't know about François maybe some other life time I just might but things are different now Ysandre was killed that day the same for Bishop he's gone too so everything is back to normal but Amelie and Sam are now living together to everyone's happiness Michael was happy for him and Claire was too she said she'd seen how happy they were together why not express it and I had to say I started dating again I've had some really bad dates so far but always looking for someone I can really like.

Today was a celebration ball everyone would wear masks like the last one just to celebrating that Bishop was dead let's just hope nothing bad happens in this one. I was going as something much better than the last time because let's face it I was a dog but everyone in the founders house had to go as movie characters in a film we picked the incredible yes that's right it was Eve's pick which was better than the other stupid choices we had but I chose to be frozone and Eve and Michael are going as Mr Incredible and Mrs Incredible and Claire and François are going as Invisible girl and Dash which is funny but they seem to make it work somehow.

**What's going to happen next help me come up with what can happen at the next ball but what? **


	7. Chapter 7

Claire's change

_Eve's pick which was better than the other stupid choices we had but I chose to be frozone and Eve and Michael are going as Mr Incredible and Mrs Incredible and Claire and François are going as Invisible girl and Dash which is funny but they seem to make it work somehow._

Chapter seven

**The ball… **

Everyone is having fun talking and celebrating the amazing time they are having Amelie is getting ready to announce her engagement to Sam as after many years of loving her proposed to her after all of the trouble with Bishop. This was also the reason to bring everyone together, everyone was waiting for the ice queen to come onto the stage but everyone was also happy to know that Bishop was dead. Also so François could be known for his better behaviour him and Claire were still going strong and were having fun. Michael and Eve are planning to have a baby together if Claire can find out a way to do this, everyone is happy about the situation in Morganville but things might not ever be quiet but everyone likes to have some excitement in their life. But luckily life for Shane has started going up hill Claire met a new friend at Common grounds (not a vamp) and set them up on a date they are still going out and seem to be having real fun together.

The end


End file.
